Six months before the 73rd FIFA Congress takes place in Kigali, the FIFA President has met with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and held constructive discussions on a range of topics. The meeting took place in New York City, where both are present to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly, and was the latest in a series of exchanges between the two presidents – with the previous discussion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in May 2022. In addition to the preparations ahead of the next FIFA Congress, President Infantino and President Kagame also discussed a wide range of football development matters in east Africa – all coordinated via the FIFA Regional Development office in Kigali, which was inaugurated in February 2021.

Following the inauguration, President Infantino made a commitment to focus on helping to develop Infrastructure, competitions and education, and President Kagame has since been a vocal supporter of the football development progress being made across east Africa. In May 2021, Mr Kagame used the platform for the CAF Executive Committee meeting to express his praise for the new mindset that is supporting the growth of African football. The 73rd FIFA Congress will take place on 16 March 2023. Kigali has already hosted a meeting of the FIFA Council, in October 2018.